National organizations focused on eye care have expressed concerns that consolidating the National Eye Institute into broader National Institutes of Health programs would negatively impact ongoing research. The proposal was advanced to Congress in an appropriations bill earlier this year. In a dense field of competing priorities, vision health could lose visibility and funding, negatively impacting both dedicated researchers and patients waiting for new treatments.
Now is not the time to neglect vision health research. Continued advocacy is vital to ensuring vision health receives suitable priority among federal research programs.
Losing Focus on Eye Health
Through 57 years of leadership, the National Eye Institute, or NEI, has advanced research on conditions like glaucoma, macular degeneration and diabetic retinopathy. That support fueled new treatments and rehabilitation techniques, improving the quality of life for millions of Americans. A single imaging technology developed by NEI research saved Medicare billions while treating patients with blindness.
Patients and clinicians worry that rolling NEI into a broader umbrella that includes brain and dental research would mean fewer resources dedicated specifically to eye and vision health, reducing momentum and slowing progress in clinical research.
The Push to Preserve NEI Independence
As the consolidation proposal advances, eye health experts, patient advocacy groups and professional organizations have mobilized in opposition. The #SeeWhatMatters campaign, launched by the National Alliance for Eye and Vision Research and the Alliance for Eye and Vision Research, is drawing attention to the risks of consolidation and the necessity of protecting NEI’s independence. Experts have called on policymakers to safeguard federal support for vision health, and patients and other concerned Americans are urged to contact their representatives.
Protecting Progress in Eye Research
Millions of Americans are impacted by vision loss, which can impair the ability to live independently and work productively. Without sustained investment in eye research, these medical expenses and community costs will be multiplied. If NEI is defunded, communities at risk will miss out on future improvements to vision care.
